Kingdom of Many Arrows, but the recent war with the
ores of that realm caused this burgeoning population
to disperse.
Today no civilized place in the North has a sig-
nificant population of half-ores, although at least
a few of them reside in or on the outskirts of any
stable community. Ironically, it is among the largest
and most civilized of these places that half-ores are
likely to find acceptance-in the great cities where
people are often more cosmopolitan in their outlook.
In Waterdeep, for instance, half-ores make up a tiny
percentage of the population, yet even at that they still
number in the hundreds. Half-ores who call Waterdeep
home appreciate the acceptance, or at least tolerance,
they receive in the city, whether they were born there,
arrived overland from elsewhere on the continent, or
entered the city by way of ships bringing trade.HALF-0RC DEITIES
As befits their dual nature, many half-ores revere deities
from both the human and the ore pantheons. Alone or
among themselves, half-ores offer prayers to ore deities,
particularly Ilneval, who is thought of as a patron of half-
orcs and other ore crossbreeds.FAERUNIAN Goos
Half-ores trying to fit in with human society often adopt
a human deity out of expediency (though rarely just for
the sake of appearances). They favor Faerftnian deities
of war and trickery, such as Bane, Mask, and Temp us.FIRST FAMILY
The ore pantheon, known as the Tribe of He Who
Watches, is a group of brutal and cruel gods, dominated
by their father and chieftain, Gruumsh One-Eye. This
god of conquest, strength, and survival is the hated ri-
val of the elven deity Corellon Larethian. It is said that
Gruumsh owes the loss of his eye to Corellon's aim
with an arrow.
The mother-deity of the ores is Luthic, mate of
Gruumsh, and the goddess of fecundity, caverns,
and witchery.
Bahgtru, the son of Gruumsh, is the god of pure, brute
strength, renowned for his power but disdained by some
for his oafishness.HORDE LEADER
The patron deity of half-ores is the war god Ilneval. He
has the title of War Master in the pantheon, revered by
those who believe in the wisdom of attacking with over-
whelming numbers.
BLACK AND WHITE
The two most sinister members of the ore pantheon lie
at opposite ends of the visual spectrum. One is Shar-
gaas, the Night Lord, god of darkness, night, and stealth.
The other is Yurtrus the White-Handed, Lord of Mag-
gots, the fearsome deity of plagues and death.
CHAPTER 3 I RACES OF THE REALMS
TIEFLINGS
Humans with the blood of fiends, most tieflings in
Faerftn share a common connection due to the machina-
tions of the archdevil Asmodeus a century ago.THE MARK OF ASMODEUS
During the Spellplague, Asmodeus consumed the
divine spark of Azuth and thereby achieved godhood.
Subsequently, Asmodeus and a coven of warlocks, the
Tori! Thirteen, performed a rite wherein the archdevil
claimed all tieflings in the world as his own, cursing
them to bear "the blood of Asmodeus." This act marked
all tieflings as "descendants" of the Lord of the Nine
Hells, regardless of their true heritage, and changed
them into creatures that resembled their supposed
progenitor. The other folk of Faerftn, unnerved by the
appearance of these devil-beings, became suspicious of
all tieflings and occasionally hostile to them.
In spite of what some people believe, however, Asmo-
deus exerts no power over his "children," and tieflings
today are as free-willed-and willful-as they ever have
been. Some do choose to serve the Lord of the Nine
Hells and his schemes, while others align themselves
with different fiendish factions, or none at all, doing
their best to stay out of infernal politics.
Since the ritual that spread the curse of Asmodeus a
century ago, tieflings have been born on Faerftn that be-
long to other infernal bloodlines, but those that bear the
mark of the archdevil (and their descendants) remain
the most numerous examples of their kind by far.
Tieflings in Faerftn generally have the racial traits of
tieflings in the Player's Handbook, except that those notTiefling Variants
Since not all tieflings are of the blood of Asmodeus, some
have traits that differ from those in the Player's Handbook.
The Dungeon Master may permit the following variants for
your tiefling character, although Devil's Tongue, Hellfire,
and Winged are mutually exclusive.
Appearance. Your tiefling might not look like other
tieflings. Rather than having the physical characteristics
described in the Player's Handbook, choose l d4 + l of the
following features: small horns; fangs or sharp teeth; a
forked tongue; catlike eyes; six fingers on each hand; goat-
like legs; cloven hoofs; a forked tail; leathery or scaly skin;
red or dark blue skin; cast no shadow or reflection; exude a
smell of brimstone.
Feral. Your Intelligence score increases by l, and your
Dexterity score increases by 2. This trait replaces the Ability
Score Increase trait.
Devil's Tongue. You know the vicious mockery cantrip.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person
spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait. When you
reach 5th level, you can cast the enthrall spell once with
this trait. You must finish a long rest to cast these spells
once again with this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting
ability for them. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait.
Hellfire. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the burn-
ing hands spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell. This trait
replaces the hellish rebuke spell of the Infernal Legacy trait.
Winged. You have bat-like wings sprouting from your
shoulder blades. You have a flying speed of 30 feet. This
trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait.